Hockey History for Hockey History Nerds

The 1930s

Despite the fact that they didn't win the most Cups in the latter half of the 1930s, the Boston Bruins were undoubtedly the strongest team of the era. The Bruins started off the 1935-36 season quite poorly, but improved as the season went along. Eddie Shore, a remnant of their previous era of dominance in … Continue reading Boston Bruins (1935-1940)

Dave Kerr was born in 1910 in Toronto, Ontario. Kerr played for several teams in the Ontario area before making the jump to the NHL with the Montreal Maroons in 1930 at the age of 21. While Kerr played admirably for such a young goaltender, his numbers weren't overly impressive. After just one game with … Continue reading Dave Kerr

From the 1930s to the 1960s, skilled offensive defensemen were extremely rare to find, as most defenders focused on the defensive aspect of their role. Flash Hollett was not your standard defensive defenseman. Born in Nova Scotia, but raised in Toronto. Hollett was also a skilled lacrosse player and caught the attention of the Maple … Continue reading Flash Hollett

Few NHL players ever have long careers in the NHL. It's not only hard to stay in the NHL, but it gets especially hard as players age. This was even more rare in the 30s, when it was common for players to retire in their early 30s. Dit Clapper was the first player to really … Continue reading Aubrey “Dit” Clapper

Dave "Sweeney" Schriner was the third Russian to ever play in the NHL and the first to be a star player. Just a month after being born in Russia, Shriner's family moved to Calgary, giving him an essentially completely Canadian upbringing. Schriner loved playing a variety of sports as he grew up, but he loved hockey … Continue reading Dave “Sweeney” Schriner

Perhaps one of the kindest and humblest stars to ever play in the NHL, Syl Apps was born in January of 1915 in Ontario. Conn Smythe first saw Apps when he was playing football while studying economics at McMaster University. He offered Apps a contract, but Apps said he needed to participate in pole vaulting … Continue reading Syl Apps

Born in 1912, Bill Cowley was one of the greatest play makers of his era. After solid numbers on a variety of teams in his late teens and early 20s, Cowley joined the NHL's St. Louis Eagles for the 1934-35 season, who had just moved from Ottawa. While the Eagles were miserable, they did allow … Continue reading Bill Cowley